Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua’s united opposition has issued a strong statement condemning Nyeri Governor Mutahi Kahiga for celebrating the sudden demise of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga.
Raila, 80, passed away last Wednesday after suffering a heart attack while undergoing specialised treatment in India. He was laid to rest on Sunday in his Bondo home during a state funeral attended by President William Ruto, former President Uhuru Kenyatta, and thousands of mourners.
On Tuesday, Mutahi Kahiga — who remains a member of the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) — was caught on camera celebrating Raila’s death, terming it “a good riddance”.
Kahiga claimed that God took away Raila Odinga because he had started working with President Ruto, whom he accused of marginalising the Mt. Kenya region—the very community that helped him ascend to power.
Kahiga’s remarks sparked widespread condemnation, with some suggesting he was speaking on behalf of Gachagua. However, Gachagua, through a statement issued by the united opposition’s spokesperson, Dr. Mukhisa Kituyi, distanced himself from Kahiga’s comments, clarifying that the Nyeri Governor is not a member of the Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP) but belongs to President Ruto’s UDA.
Dr Kituyi further alleged that state operatives are using Governor Kahiga as a mouthpiece to advance a divisive tribal agenda.
“Governor Kahiga should tell Kenyans why his nefarious paymasters chose him, at such a sensitive time, to be their mouthpiece—and why he issued, in his vernacular tongue, an utterly shocking statement that goes against all ideals of public good and human decency,” part of the statement read.
According to impeccable sources, Governor Kahiga has in recent months been closely associating with top UDA figures, including Kikuyu MP Kimani Ichung’wah, Kapseret MP Oscar Sudi, and Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen.
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